Tristan's takeaways: 7 basketball thoughts
Underrated performers, teams on the rise and some other tidbits from the NBA, G League, WNBA and college ball.
Basketball is back in almost every capacity, with college ball tipping off earlier this week and the G League beginning play. That led to an incredible week of basketball, with plenty of takeaways from nearly every major American basketball league. Let’s take a look at the happenings of the basketball world that you may have missed.
Let’s talk about the Utah Jazz
It’s hard to say that Utah going 10-3 through a 13-game stretch is the most surprising thing in the world, contrary to popular belief. I had the Jazz finishing 12th in the Western Conference, ahead of the Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs. Bad teams start off with winning records all the time; look no further than the Washington Wizards last season, who went 10-3 to start the year before going 25-44 the rest of the way and missing the postseason.
But the Jazz aren’t really a BAD team just yet. While Utah is definitely in the process of rebuilding, it didn’t sell low on all of its pieces. Lauri Markkanen, Kelly Olynyk and Collin Sexton are all legitimate NBA players. They aren’t centerpieces on a contender or anything, but it isn’t exactly hard to get 30-plus wins in this league. To pick on last year’s Wizards again, that team finished with a bottom-six defense and a bottom-10 offense and still won 35 games.
On top of that, Utah hasn’t even moved on from all of its other veterans just yet. Mike Conley, Jordan Clarkson and Rudy Gay are still there. Malik Beasley, a veteran acquired in the Rudy Gobert trade, is still there. These guys have no obligation to simply start losing.
It certainly helps that Markkanen is playing at a near-All-Star level, averaging 22.7 points and making 65% of his two-point shot attempts. Clarkson, a piece Utah seems keen to keep, is averaging 18.6 points and 5.2 assists per game while Conley looks like he still has it, averaging eight assists and shooting over 40% from deep on more than five attempts per game.
Three-point shooting is one strength of the Jazz that I’m not positive will last the entire season and is part of the reason for their hot start. Utah is third in the league in three-pointers made, with six of its main seven rotation guys connecting at over 38% from distance. Olynyk is connecting at a 56.8% clip from downtown on nearly three such attempts per game.
So while I expect the Jazz to wind up sitting players later in the season and plummet down the standings, let’s pump the brakes on prematurely ending their season. The Jazz are a fun team, ranking first in points per game and fourth in offensive rating thus far.
Campaigning for Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby
The Raptors are 7-5 and barring something unforeseen, are already in a great position to make the playoffs. Before going down with an unfortunately timed injury, Siakam was a massive part of the Raptors’ success, off to the best start in his career, averaging 24.8 points, 9.3 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game while connecting on 51.9% of his two-pointers and 34.2% of his 4.2 three-point attempts per game.
If Siakam is able to keep up that kind of production when he returns, he has to be in the conversation for All-NBA First Team. Siakam isn’t the only piece responsible for Toronto’s success, with Anunoby leading the charge defensively. Early on, Anunoby is my pick for Defensive Player of the Year.
Toronto is always the kind of team to overwhelm others defensively, but Anunoby’s growth brings them to another plane of existence. Averaging an absurd 3.1 steals per game, Anunoby looks like he’s picking on opposing players when he straight-up rips the ball from their hands.
The Raptors aren’t always the prettiest team, but with the emerging Scottie Barnes on deck and Fred VanVleet building on last year’s All-Star campaign, this team feels like a must-watch on any given night.
The Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hype train
After being marred with an injury last season, Gilgeous-Alexander has returned this season on an absolute tear, averaging 31.6 points (fifth in league), 5.6 assists (29th) and 1.9 steals (tied for sixth) per game, along with an exceptional 1.5 blocks and 4.5 rebounds per game. He only ranks behind Luka Doncic, Steph Curry, Donovan Mitchell and Giannis Antetokounmpo in league scoring per game.
On top of that, Gilgeous-Alexander is in another stratosphere in terms of his efficiency. “SGA”’s 56.8% clip on two-pointers would be a career-high. But perhaps the most impressive stat of Gilgeous-Alexander’s to begin the year is his free-throw percentage, where he is getting to the line 7.7 times per game (10th in league) and hitting a strong 94.8% clip of such shots. He has missed just four of his 77 free-throw attempts this year.
Of course, just like anything I discuss here, this is happening on a small sample size. Gilgeous-Alexander only has 10 game appearances. However, even if the Thunder continue to fall off the rails, Gilgeous-Alexander is proving why his first All-Star appearance is overdue. De’Aaron Fox is another electric point guard making waves early this season, with both players gunning for their debuts in the All-Star game.
Jordan Goodwin making waves in Washington
After being promoted from an Exhibit-10 contract to a two-way deal right before the start of the season, it was unclear just how much Goodwin would play for the Wizards. Washington historically hasn’t gotten the most production from its two-way players. Garrison Mathews is Washington’s best two-way player since the contracts were introduced in the 2017-18 season, but now he’s on the Houston Rockets.
So far this season, Goodwin is averaging a respectable six points, four rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. In his last three games, Goodwin is stuffing the stat sheet in expanded minutes, averaging 9.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists and two stocks per game, while shooting 66.7% from the floor.
Goodwin plays with an undeniable hustle and enthusiasm that Washington’s roster is full of, but he has stepped into the third point guard spot and run away with it. There’s an argument that Goodwin has already played himself into consideration for a standard contract, though that may not come until Goodwin has exhausted his days of eligibility (two-way players are allowed a maximum of 50 game appearances unless converted).
I’ve enjoyed watching Washington this season; from a colorful court and jersey pattern to several energetic players, this roster is fun even if the ceiling isn’t all that high. Other guys like Anthony Gill and Deni Avdija deserve a shout-out for their hustle plays, especially considering Avdija’s efforts against Luka Doncic on Nov. 10, though you can tell there is plenty of room to grow for those two.
Indiana Fever earn No. 1 overall pick for first time franchise history, aim to pair South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston with former No. 2 overall pick NaLyssa Smith
A lengthy subhead there, but a notable one in the basketball world. On Friday, Nov. 11, the Indiana Fever earned the first overall selection in the 2023 WNBA Draft Lottery, the first such time in team history. The last few years were an arduous journey for the Fever, with the team bottoming out in each of the last two seasons and handcuffing itself to bad contracts in 2020-21 before washing the slate blank and pressing the button on a full youth movement last year.
The Fever were already an exciting young team to monitor, boasting five rookies on last year’s squad, with all five providing some form of intrigue. The crown gem of last year’s draft haul was none other than NaLyssa Smith, the former Baylor product who averaged 13.5 points and 7.9 rebounds per game last year, showcasing some impressive playmaking and shooting skills.
As has been known for a while, South Carolina forward/center Aliyah Boston is the overwhelming favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft. Boston had a historic season last year, averaging an incredible 16.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, two assists, 1.2 steals and 2.4 blocks per game while shooting 54.2% from the floor.
If you had any questions about how good Boston is, look no further than her outstanding career accolades. She’s 20. And not in the league yet. Wow.
But even beyond that, it’s impossible to deny that pairing the two best frontcourt players in college basketball from each of the last two years is exciting. Both Smith and Boston can take each other’s games to the next level. While Boston to the Fever isn’t a done deal, it would take something tremendously unforeseen for this to not occur. And who knows, the Washington Mystics traded down from No. 1 to No. 3 last year.
For now though, Fever fans can rest well at night knowing that a Boston-Smith frontcourt is a real possibility, with players like Kelsey Mitchell, Destanni Henderson and Queen Egbo having the skill to be supporting players on a contending team.
G League performers of the week
The 2022-23 NBA G League season tipped off this week and in true G League fashion, some of my favorite players had tremendous games that showed why they belong in the league sooner than later. Here are some highlights.
Jamaree Bouyea
On Friday, Nov. 10, San Francisco product and Miami Heat camp invite Bouyea had the game of his life. Bouyea had a historic performance, almost securing a QUADRUPLE DOUBLE, by putting up 27 points (12 of 18 shooting), nine rebounds, nine assists and eight steals.
It was a hard decision for the Heat to choose between its Exhibit-10 players this offseason. All of Bouyea, Dru Smith, Jamal Cain, Marcus Garrett and Darius Days looked the part of two-way level players at one point or another. Smith and Cain went on to secure those spots, which I don’t think was a wrong decision, but Bouyea may wind up getting signed by another player later in the season.
D.J. Stewart Jr. also had a noteworthy performance, putting up 37 points in the same game. Stewart played well for the Sioux Falls Skyforce last season, earning a promotion to a two-way deal with the San Antonio Spurs late last year, though he went unsigned until the Dallas Mavericks extended him a training camp deal. After the Mavericks waived Stewart, the Heat were quick to claim him and get his rights back for the team this year.
If they keep this up, both Bouyea and Stewart will be on NBA rosters by year’s end.
James Akinjo
After going undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft, Akinjo only briefly spent time with the New York Knicks in training camp, with their signing and subsequent waiving designed to get his rights sent to the Westchester Knicks.
Akinjo turned some heads quickly into the season by putting up a monster 40-point game on Sunday, Nov. 6. Akinjo hit 15 of his 24 shot attempts, including making 5 of 10 three-point shots, and racked up nine assists in a losing effort to the Maine Celtics. In three games this season, Akinjo is averaging 24 points and 11 assists per game.
Gabe York
While York may end up going down in history as one of the guys who is too good for the G League but not good enough for the NBA, his laughably good performances deserve some recognition. After averaging 21.7 points per game for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants last year, the Indiana Pacers extended York a two-way deal alongside Nate Hinton after promoting Terry Taylor and Duane Washington Jr. to standard deals.
York fizzled out while on a two-way deal, but he’s back with the Mad Ants and is on a vengeance to begin the year. York is averaging 33.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, six assists and 4.3 stocks per game while shooting 57.7% from the floor and 44% from deep on 8.3 attempts per game.
At 29 years old, there is much upside for a team to gain by signing York, but he could provide some shooting for a team in need of it.
Kelan Martin
Martin has several years of NBA experience already, which may have aided in his 37-point outburst with the Birmingham Squadron in their first game of the season. Martin probably belongs in the league and he did average 5.5 points per game over three seasons. If Martin keeps this up, he’ll be a candidate for promotion later on in the year.
Jaden Hardy
While already on an NBA squad, Hardy fell to the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft after spending last year with the G League Ignite due to concerns about his defense and his shooting consistency. Hardy is working to quell any and all offensive concerns early in the G League season, averaging 28 points and 4.5 assists in his first two appearances of the year.
Hardy is shooting 50% from the floor and 42.1% from distance on 9.5 attempts per game, aiming to earn a spot in the Mavericks’ rotation as soon as next season.
Peyton Watson
Watson is another player who may not have a role on a contending NBA team, but is someone to track as he develops. In three games with the Grand Rapids Gold, Watson is averaging 26.7 points and a staggering 5.4 stocks per game.
Jett Howard is a star for the Wolverines
Pivoting to the world of men’s college ball, the first week of college play hasn’t provided a ton of intrigue. Terquavion Smith of my alma mater N.C. State popped off for 25 points in the opener, which was exciting to see. But one of the cooler developments of the year so far is what Jett Howard has already become for No. 22 Michigan.
While Hunter Dickinson is the star of the team, Howard, the son of head coach Juwan Howard, earned a starting role as a true freshman and former four-star recruit. Howard already is popping off for the Wolverines, putting up 21 points and five assists in the opener while connecting on five of his 10 three-point attempts.
At 6-foot-8, Howard may be a sleeper candidate to be a one-and-done prospect for Michigan. Howard has the playmaking, shooting chops and size to be what an NBA team would look for in the second round, especially since this draft appears to be top heavy so far.